"We made some al-Qaida terrorists with American blood on their hands uncomfortable for a few days," Rodriguez said. "I am very secure in what we did and am very confident that what we did saved American lives."

On its website, CBS reports Rodriguez said the interrogation program — "which also included stress positions, nudity and 'insult slaps,'" — was about "instilling a sense of hopelessness... despair... so that he [the detainee] would conclude on his own that he was better off cooperating with us."